1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter disclosed in this application relates to the art of removing impurities and other contaminants, for example organics, from liquids, for example water, using an electrolytic process.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrolytic processes have been in existence for many years. In each case, the prior equipment has been plagued with a continuous buildup of foreign materials on the electrodes which stops the release of metallic ions and causes pitting and damage to the electrodes. As the electrodes are plated with these foreign materials, more voltage is required to maintain the same amount of metal ions being released. The high power eventually causes the unit to stop functioning properly thus requiring the unit to be shut down. Prior attempts to solve the problem include the use of non conductive and even conductive pellets or balls in a fluidized bed to clean the electrodes. Liquid fluidized beds with, for example a four foot per second fluid velocity are inadequate to remove the deposits from the electrodes. Other approaches include reversing the polarity of the electrodes frequently to keep the electrodes clean. Still another approach is to increase the fluid velocity. These approaches have achieved little or no success.